Welsh post production house, Gorilla, is no stranger to Avid solutions. After being the first facility in the country to install Avid Pro Tools | S6 consoles, Wales’ largest post production house has continued to lead the nation’s post production industry by keeping up-to-date with Avid’s latest innovations. Gorilla’s recent move saw them streamline their operation with the integration of Avid Pro Tools and Avid NEXIS shared storage in an effort to improve efficiencies between its state-of-the-art studios.

With several file formats across a variety of post-production disciplines, Gorilla wanted to future-proof itself as its workload grows. Boasting an impressive portfolio including Channel 4’s One Born Every Minute, BBC’s Decline and Fall, and Sky 1’s Stella. Gorilla lends its post-production talent to a diverse range of TV genres, ranging from drama, documentary to comedy – all of which are edited and refined on Avid’s 4K compatible technology. Its extensive and varied workflow highlights the importance of a seamless delivery powered by a bespoke integration of its existing Avid tools with new and updated Avid technology.

Avid Pro Tools plays a vital role in Gorilla’s audio post-production capability. The facility relies on Avid’s world-leading audio editing tool for all its editorial and finishing work, including mixing, editing, and recording across its diverse project roster. With over 100 Avid work stations housing 7 Pro Tools suites and two Pro Tools | S6 consoles, Gorilla required a reliable and efficient solution with a high-bandwidth to manage the distribution and delivery of large files between Gorilla’s experienced editors.

“Without a reliable and highly-connected storage system, we can’t turnover work quickly enough to meet client demands,” says Rhodri James, technology director at Gorilla, who is responsible for the management and upkeep of the company’s technology. “Since merging our Pro Tools systems with the powerful NEXIS storage, our picture and audio editorial teams are working in ultimate real-time. The compatibility with Pro Tools benefits everyone, and production processes are much more unified, simplified, and a lot quicker.”

From installation to implementation, ensuring a reliable integration of two renowned Avid solutions into Gorilla’s workflow allows the editing house to operate an around-the-clock operation without unwelcome disruption. Eliminating typical conflict expected with a software-hardware integration, Gorilla worked closely with Avid to effectively introduce and roll-out the new collaborative audio storage offering. With Avid NEXIS at the core of the company’s storage, the two products working in unison results in greater cross-department collaboration and confidence in a secure and seamless end-to-end project delivery.

“We continue to follow Avid’s developments, making sure we stay ahead with our resellers on industry-disruptive concepts and solutions,” says James. “Together, we discuss the merits and implications of new product integrations. By doing so, we are constantly refining our workflows to suit our customers’ post-production requirements – it’s crucial to how we keep ourselves afloat in a fast-paced industry which ultimately rides on change and new technological ideas.”

Gorilla’s high turnover of projects will benefit the most from the integration of Avid Pro Tools and Avid NEXIS – posing new opportunities in terms of timing and efficiency. In turn, Gorilla’s customers are seeing the results. “As our teams are bringing out the improved levels of efficiency, the customers’ final product is ultimately better; it comes around full circle,” adds James.

Gorilla’s Avid offering is not just limited to audio, with other solutions including Avid Media Composer, in action for both offline and online editing in its video and audio post production suites. “From file delivery, to HDR, UHD and VR technologies, Avid, along with its Alliance Partners, have allowed us to develop, update and create new workflows in what is an ever-changing environment,” says James. “We see Avid as another member of our team. The innovation within its products are key elements to a modern facility, which is how we see ourselves.”

A self-proclaimed “Avid-centric” facility since its early inception in 1999, Gorilla has a long history specialising in broadcast and film post production, depending on the reliable workflow integration of Avid solutions to ensure it continues to spearhead video and audio technology in the region and beyond. For James and his team, it is keeping up and staying ahead that has always remained a priority throughout the years.

“With a backdrop of higher shooting ratios, higher data rates and challenging budgets, the ability to deliver the highest standards and remain innovative is everything,” comments James. “Avid’s technology has meant we can conquer industry demands whilst playing with our creativity. We’ve always had great results.”

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